Outfest 2011 came to an end this weekend, and Thank You For Your Call was fortunate enough to have won the jury award for outstanding documentary short film. This is my first award of any kind for my photography and documentary work, so it’s a great feeling to know that the film has impacted some people. I’m also proud to have helped bring some much needed to attention to Bill’s story. He’s a great man and a good friend and I’m happy to have met him.

For its moving examination of one man’s emotional journey through a complex and systematic issue of inequity which currently and will continue to affect many of us, we award the Outfest 2011 Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Short Film to “Thank You for Your Call,” directed by Shawn Nee.

It’s been a year since the film was made, and unfortunately people are still treated unfairly in this country and the Social Security Administration continues to discriminate against the LGBT community. So it’s important that people be persistent and continue fighting for what they believe in until everyone is treated equally.